one hundred and twenty-three. Thus, he certainly lived long enough to meet him. Perhaps Abu Mushir meant that he did not hear from him. And Allah knows best.

Makhul also corroborated him in al-Tabarani (809), reporting from Kathir ibn Murrah with the same narration. However, the chain leading to it contains Baqiyyah ibn al-Walid, who practised tadlīs and narrated it with an ambiguous “from” formula. As for al-Tabarani’s shaykh, ʿAmr ibn Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn al-ʿAlaʾ al-Himsi, I have not found a biographical entry for him. In any case, this passage concerning jihad still requires corroboration to support and strengthen it. And Allah knows best.

1938 — “Adhere to good character and prolonged silence. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, created beings have performed no deed comparable to these two.”

Abu Yaʿla recorded it in his Musnad (2/834): Ibrahim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Sami related to us: Bashshar ibn al-Hakam related to us: Thabit al-Bunani related to us from Anas, who said: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, met Abu Dharr and said: ‘O Abu Dharr, shall I not direct you to two qualities that are easier to bear, yet heavier in the Balance than any others?’ He said: ‘Certainly, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said:” Then he cited it.

Al-Tabarani also recorded it in al-Awsat (7245), as did al-Bayhaqi in Shuʿab al-Iman (1/65/1), through two other chains from Ibrahim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Sami with the same narration. Muʿalla ibn Asad also corroborated him: Bashshar ibn al-Hakam Abu Badr al-Dabbi related it to us with the same narration. Ibn Abi al-Dunya recorded it in al-Samt (4/32/2), as did al-Bazzar (p. 329, Zawaʾid Ibn Hajar), who said: “Bashshar alone narrated it, and he is weak.”

I say: He is among the narrators included in al-Mizan and al-Lisan, and his name has been badly corrupted in the chains